Fire!

Jackson POV

Four Days Ago

Leave! How could she fucking leave?! I've wasted these last few years kissing up to that bitch, waiting for her to become that damn wolf, and she just leaves! As if I would have stayed with her this whole time if I didn't expect to get something out of it.

"Damn it!" I yell.

I pick up the bottle I took out of the fridge just before she left and throw it against the wall. My rage doesn't end there. I rip apart the couch, throwing the pieces all around the living room, then pick up the TV and slam it down on the ground. 

"Fuck!" I scream with my fist raging in the air.

"Hello?" a woman's voice calls from behind the front door, "I'm trying to work over here," she continues, annoyed as she bangs on the door.

Perfect, I can go for a snack.

I open the door, and the blonde, busted woman drops the bitchy attitude and changes her whole demeanor to something more seductive. A typical move for any human that comes across me. Humans are unable to resist the aura I exude, which is why I knew Freya was different from the moment she walked right passed me.

Most people would have stopped and stared, but not her. She didn't even notice me walking past her, which is why I had to turn around to follow her. I stalked her for a month before making a move. Freya made it so easy, too.

She was sitting at a bar all alone, brushing off the men and one woman coming up to her to try and get in her pants. I waited until she needed a refill and had the bartender send over a whiskey neat, then made my move. The second I said hello, I could tell she was ready to shoo me away as well until she caught a glimpse of my eyes. 

Freya instantly buckled and turned on the charm. I could see it in her eyes. She was even confused as to why she was giving me a chance but brushed off the feeling using the liquid courage I sent her to ease her mind. It wasn't hard to get her undressed and under me by the end of the night. Her scent changed after I left my mark on her while we fucked, meaning she would never be able to hide from me now.

As she slept, her body knew what I was, as it shook every time I got close to touching her. It was such a thrill to watch her sleep at first, but it quickly became annoying after learning she didn't know what she truly was.

It took a while to figure out why she didn't know who she was, but after she told me about her childhood, it all became clear. Her grandfather hadn't told her, and when I went to speak to him three months after we were "dating," I knew he was never going to tell her. The man was too senile to even remember his own name.

I was hoping something would eventually slip, but no luck. If I had known all I needed was for him to die, I would have taken his worthless life.

"I'm sorry to bother you," the woman from next door says in a sultry tone as she tries to peek inside, "I have finals next week, and I'm trying to study.

"I'm sorry about the noise. How about you take a break and come inside for a drink?" I ask, not really caring about her answer; either way, she's coming inside.

"Sure," she says gleefully. 

When she enters, her face changes from happy to scared. I inhale the scent of her terror, enjoying the appetizer before I bite down on the main course. 

"I, I, I...should," she stutters. 

"You've come at the wrong time," I claim, grabbing her by the shoulders and feeling her tremble beneath my palms. "At least for you. I can always go for a drink."

I open my mouth wide, barring my teeth down on her neck. I soak up every drop of blood, then let her body thud on the floor, unbothered by cleaning up after myself this time. With Freya no longer around, there's no need to hide myself or be in this cramped space anymore. 

I walk over to the refrigerator and grab the bottle of rum on top of the freezer, followed by ripping a piece of the couch cloth. I take a swig of the rum before shoving the cloth inside the bottle. I usually avoid fire, but in situations that call for the removal of evidence, such as bodies, I find it the best way to get rid of them while destroying everything else that can link me or my kind.

I light the cocktail and shatter it on the ground, letting the flames make my exit. I take a deep inhale, trying to catch the scent of Freya, but her smell is faint, so she must be flying or underwater. I decide to wreak some havoc while I wait for her to get to wherever she's going. It's been a long time since I was able to feed whenever I want, and I'll need my strength if I'm going to have to fight her at full power if I don't get to her in time. 

Present Time

I've lurked nearby, waiting for this moment. I can smell the moment she uncorked the bottle, making my dead heart metaphorically beat in excitement. The moment she drinks it my senses overload, the perks of marking her. What she thought was a love bite was so much more. It will forever be a brand she'll never be able to get rid of.

Time for chaos.

Breaking into this shabby place was easy, seeing how these idiot humans forgot to lock the doors. I take my time looking around, knowing I have about an hour before she'd have control of her body again. There are four people inside: two kids, an old lady who should snap under two of my fingers, and a large man who might put up a fight, not that it can do much against me. 

I walk to the kitchen, take two bottles of wine, and head to the nineties-designed living room and light the fireplace. I pour out most of the wine on the floor so the fire spreads quickly. Either the smoke will kill the humans, or they'll run into my hands and be quickly put out of their miserable lives after I get what I came for. 

Wakey, wakey humans.

I wait in the other room, watching the stairs and waiting for the others to come down so I can grab my prize. After a few minutes, when the smoke starts to rise, the first one up is the big man who looks over the stairway railing. When he notices the smoke, he races around, banging on the door to wake everyone up. 

The old woman and kids come down first, rushing out the front door and leaving a giant smile on my face. One step closer. My smile disappears when the man comes downstairs, holding Freya in his arms. He sets her down and runs past me at first until he turns back and notices me.

"Who..." he speaks until I interrupt him by pushing into his chest, causing his body to fly through the air until it hits another wall.

I watch as Freya tries to help him, but her body is still too weak to move. The older woman appears trying to help her, and it causes the woman to shout for the retched kids to come back inside. They're ruining everything! I grab the older woman's robe and pull her back, killing her in an instant from the way her head snapped against the wall. 

"I told you. You should have stayed." 

Freya turns back to me with a look of horror in her eyes. Her attention is drawn back to the man enraging me, so I bend down in a swift motion, grab him by his ankle, and throw him into the fire. Freya tries to rush to him until I grab her by the throat. 

"Jackson," she pleas, "please no."

"I'm getting what I've been waiting for since the moment you passed me by."

Freya's tears start to show, making the wait worthwhile. I take an inhale only slightly disappointed she's not completely ready to devour. Stupid werewolf's blood is only pure once it appears in her mind, but Freya's is taking longer than expected. 

A shot appears in my shoulder, forcing me to drop her. I look down and see a wooden arrow pricing my flesh, then search to find where it came from. I spot the little boy holding a crossbow. Just before I can get to him, the little girl takes his hand and runs upstairs as if they are trying to hide. 

"Let the fire take you brats!" I shout up to them before turning my attention back to Freya.

"Please. I'll go with you, just don't hurt them," Freya whines.

"Too late! That bastard shot me, and he's going to pay. They all are going to pay once I've taken your blood."

I lift her off the ground once more and squeeze her throat tighter. With the injury to my shoulder, I need her blood now more than ever. And according to her smell it should be any second now.